Child Care Providers Can Be Part of the Solution in Closing the Achievement Gap

As child care professionals, we help young children explore their interests, support their emotional growth as they learn to share and try new things, and shape their confidence, curiosity and self-control. But over the past few months, those little minds aren’t the only things we’ve been influencing. It has been our great opportunity to get actively engaged in shaping public policy. Earlier this spring we testified on LB547, and we understand it is on General File awaiting first-round debate in the Nebraska Legislature. If the Legislature has sufficient time, we anticipate LB547 will be debated on the floor and advanced to Select File.

We know that good quality early childhood environments matter. The providers in the Nebraska Child Care Center Directors Association are intentional about our quality. Many of us are already voluntarily participating in Step Up to Quality to improve early care and education quality in Nebraska. Further, we see ourselves as a critical part of the solution to closing the achievement gap among Nebraska’s youngest children because the environments we offer to children in our care are healthy, stable and stimulating. The families we serve choose us because of the nurturing environments we offer.

LB547 and proposed amendments encourage high-quality early childhood partnerships between child care providers and school districts. Many child care providers want the opportunity to partner with schools.

We support LB547 because we believe quality child care is part of the solution in providing good learning environments for children at risk. We would like to thank Senator Kathy Campbell and Senator Kate Sullivan for their work on behalf of our state’s youngest children.